


The Cursed Chrysanthemum

by UrbanFrog



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrbanFrog/pseuds/UrbanFrog
Summary: Viren starts feeling like he's getting a cough. Don't worry, it's nothing a little ḑ̸̱̺̻̻͖̟͎͇̳̱̲̬̞͑́̈́͐͐̾̆̿͝a̵͇͎̞̰̙̮̭̯̫̤̪̤͈͈͗̽̓̄̊͘ͅr̷̗̘̟͇͊̐̿̇̍͌̋̇͋͆͠k̴̡̬̰̲̺̘̹̯͈͓̦̮̥̝̼̿̎̃͌̈̋̿̇̔͗̃̕̕ ̸̡͔͍̙̎̅̐̂̄͐̇̚̕m̴̯̘̯̰͉̯̈́͑͋̄͗͗̚ͅa̴̝͉̪̟̓̐̈́̆̎͛̃͋̃͊̿͝g̷̨̰̤͚͖͈̈́̀̐͐̇̽̅́̊̔̚͝͠͝ͅi̵̡̙̭̳̞̭̼̭̳͋͋͊̽̾̒̍̇̚͘͝c̷̲̥͍̩͍̞̰̬̰̞͂̋̀ can't fix.
Relationships: Aaravos/Viren (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Dark Marks

He looked in his mirror and saw the effects of his recent dark magic. The scars were more visible than ever. He opened the terrarium that he kept his store of butterflies that he kept just for these occasions. As he was preparing the concoction he needed to hide his true form, he thought about how much of a hindrance it really was. About how Claudia was going to have to do that same thing if she was going to learn this kind of magic without using the primal stone. She'd have to learn eventually, he decided. Just as he was about to go back into the main halls of the castle, he noticed a figure standing in the mirror standing in the corner of the room, and his heart leaped. 

"Back again already, are we?" The worm whispered in his ear.

Aaravos had given him this worm so that they could speak to each other, and while he was happy that he could finally speak to the gorgeous elf, he couldn't help but feel creeped out by the small creature constantly whispering in his ear. 

"Oh, sorry. I didn't notice that you were here as well." Viren looked down at the scar on his hand. He remembered how he had risked everything by doing the ritual with Aaravos, but he wouldn't take it back for the world. He clenched his fist and continued. "I want to know something. I've searched through many magical texts and scrolls, but I haven't been able to find any spells to permanently erase the effects of dark magic from someone's skin. Is it possible?"

Aaravos chuckled darkly. "No. The scars aren't only on the inside, you see. When you use dark magic, your soul gets scars as well. It's just not visible to other humans unless you are very perceptive."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Viren asked, exasperated. He always used such eloquent vocabulary while talking to him. What he wouldn't give to just be able to speak like a normal human being. The tragedy of being nobility. 

Aaravos just looked at Viren. He decided to just give up. He had enough glowy butterflies to last a lifetime. And he was getting pretty good at breeding them as well. He had a couple more questions for Aaravos, but he would have to wait a while to ask them. He had work to do as the acting king. Who knew so much time had to go into planning a meeting with all of the kings and queens? One has a gala that day, fine, they'll meet the next. But then all of a sudden the queen of the kingdom across the river has a negotiation with the next kingdom over. It's exhausting. Viren sighed and went to leave.

"Why do you want to get rid of the scars permanently? Can't you just use that spell that erases them until the next time you use magic?" Aaravos asked.

Viren scowled. "It's such a hassle to constantly hide my face until I get down here. To have to crush butterflies and use their essence for magic. It's annoying."

"Just don't. Erase them, I mean. Wear your marks proudly! Not everyone can use magic as well as you can. Especially not a human such as yourself." Aaravos said.

"Unlike you, not many humans would respond kindly to someone proudly wearing the marks of dark magic. I would rather instill confidence in people instead of fear." Viren turned to leave. "I have a meeting to attend to with the leaders of the other kingdoms. I will return with news."

~~~

After the meeting, Viren all but fell down the stairs to get away from the other leaders of Xadia.

"IDIOTS!" Viren yelled. He picked up his chair as if to throw a chair across the room. "Cowards, all of them!" 

He could feel his blood boiling. Why couldn't they see? All the kings and queens, why didn't they understand what they needed to do? What had to be done?

"What happened?" His thoughts were interrupted by a voice in his ear. 

Viren immediately calmed down. Aaravos had a way of doing that. That deep, warm voice could convince him to do anything. Viren sighed and put down the chair. He slumped into it, defeated. 

"The leaders aren't prepared to take the necessary steps they need to so that they can protect their kingdoms and people from the elves. It's about who will attack first, and it must be us!" Viren said confiedntly. 

He rubbed his temples in frustration. Aaravos walked up to the mirror. 

"Sometimes...fear can be a powerful motivator," Aaravos said quietly. "How may I serve you?"

This inspired Viren. He knew exactly what Aaravos meant. If he could show the leaders just how scared they should be, how much danger they were really in, they would do exactly what he wanted. He needed more power. He clenched his fists. It was now or never.

"How do I get you out of your prison?"


	2. One Petal

Viren awoke to the sunlight beaming in through his velvet curtains. He noticed a butterfly fluttering by his windowsill, drinking some nectar from the flowers outside. A small cough had woken him up in the middle of the night and had left him with a sore throat. He noticed a small petal beside his bed. He decided that it must have blown in through the window during the night. The cold air coming in through the window might have given him a cold. A maid brought Viren a hot cup of black tea. As he sipped it, he mulled over Aaravos' words. 

"There's no escape for me from this prison, not that I know of. But there is a way that you'll be able to see me in your world. From there, we can make a plan _together._ "

A sort of disappointment washed over Viren when he heard that Aaravos had no way of escaping his confinement. But, he allowed the procedure. He would give anything to be in the same room as him. It was the most uncomfortable thing he had ever experienced. While the worm put its silk over his eye, he pondered why he was even doing this. He realized that he would do anything for this man. He trusted him to the ends of the earth. Did Aaravos trust him as well? Did he know how far he would go to help him escape? He glanced at the transparent figure of Aaravos that was standing in the corner of his room, watching. The more he thought about it, the more his chest burned. His cough returned, and it was stronger than last night. Not even the tea would ease his throat. A single petal fell from his mouth. 

_What sort of curse is this?_

He had been feeling an increasing burn in his chest for a couple of weeks, but it wasn't noticeable enough to worry about. Although, it had woken him up before. Viren took the petal in his hand and stared at it. The cough had subsided for a while, and so Viren decided to get to work. He couldn't lead a war while ill. Or cursed. He placed the petal on his nightstand and started thumbing through his collection of magical knowledge. Aaravos had not returned since last night, after their discussion on what to do about the leaders of the other kingdoms. He was probably exploring the castle, and getting familiar with his surroundings, thought Viren. He decided that he wouldn't tell Aaravos about the curse, not yet. He was strong enough to deal with it on his own. He didn't need Aaravos to hold his hand through anything. He was a lowly servant, that's all.

He spent the morning hours researching through books of curses and magical medical knowledge to no avail. He headed to the dining room to get lunch. This is where he found Aaravos, staring out a window looking out onto the entire kingdom. He looked so peaceful, admiring the city's architecture. 

"There's a better view from the roof."

Not startled from the sudden appearance of Viren by his side, he smiled. "Would you show me?"

Viren led Aaravos up the long spiral staircase to a precipice looking out North, which was the best view of the kingdom in his opinion. The look on Aaravos' face said it all. After looking out the same window for hundreds of years, he must be relieved to get a change of view.

"I can't go very far from you like this," said Aaravos sadly. "I explored much of the castle, but there was a sort of barrier at a certain distance. I wasn't able to get to the east or west wing."

"Nothing to see there, really, but I could show you if you would like," responded Viren. It was the least he could do if he was going to help him with his magical endeavors. 

A strong gust of wind hit Viren and he shivered. Aaravos closed his eyes and felt the air rushing past him. He looked so peaceful. Viren wondered what this man could have done to be imprisoned by the Dragon King. Viren felt a warm blush come across his face as he stared at the startouch elf. He felt the burning in his chest come back. Stifling a cough, he turned back to the city below. From this angle, they could see some farmlands beyond the city walls. They stood there together, peacefully staring at the little citizens carrying out their little lives, the loyal guards harassing a thief, and the baker delivering his freshest baked goods to the castle. Everything was well, for now.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be many chapters don't worry, but for now I will decide to sleep instead.


End file.
